Greetings, Mystic Meows!

I hope this here food blog finds you doing as well as can be and gearing up for another Summer filled with lots of fun, travel, and righteous eats! I’ve been trying my hand at growing a few fruits and vegetable plants on my back patio, and so far so good! I’m currently growing green leaf lettuce, jalapeños, parsley, basil, strawberries, lavender, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and snap peas. A small little urban garden, but now that things are starting to grow, I’m able to harvest from them every few days which has encouraged me to start eating differently. I have to say, I’m pretty damn proud of my tiny garden ( all potted plants, by the way ) and feel quite accomplished that they’re still alive and that I haven’t watered them to death! 😛

As the title of this blog states, I just wanted to touch briefly on the subject of Intuitive Eating, and what exactly that is… At least for me. Now keep in mind, this is what is working for ME and my lifestyle and is in no way trying to infringe upon how anyone else relates to food, diet, heath, etc… It’s just something that I’ve always done, but didn’t realize that was what it was I was doing in regards to how I actually eat, the foods I crave, and why.

So… Intuitive Eating is a way to sort of make peace with food in a manor that allows you to let go of the societal definitions of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the food choices we make. Eating guilt free so to speak, all the time, every meal, everyday without shaming ourselves through our eating habits or choices. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be aware of the things we put into our bodies, but rather releasing the mental stress and pressures we impose upon ourselves about the ritual and its benefits to our overall well being. Literally letting go of “No… that’s BAD for you” or even “YES! That’s good for you”. Honoring your actual hunger by giving it the energy and carbohydrates it needs without triggering the primal need to over eat by limiting, denying or even deliberately NOT eating certain foods for the sake of consuming less calories, fat, and so on. That will only lead to guilt provoking indictments if you give in to your sweet tooth, or fried food fix. This however certainly DOES NOT apply to meows that have to restrict their diet due to underlying heath issues, but more for meows that need to work on their real issues and relationship with food and nourishment. Like me.

When I’m thinking about what I want to cook and eat, it really starts when I actually go grocery shopping. What I see at the market has an effect upon my food choices and the dishes that come to mind. I try not to be such a creature of habit, as we all tend to be, and create meals in different ways by changing things up here and there. Meat, no meat, lots of vegetables, or very little, salad with a protein, or just on it’s own. Rice or potatoes (sometimes I double down AND double starch🤪) but it all depends on literally what comes to mind as well as what I’m craving in the first place. But one of the biggest challenges of intuitive eating for me, is keeping the mental “food police” at bay. That voice in your head that try’s to guilt trip you about your food choices. Making you feel some type a way before you’ve even bought or ate the damn thing you wanted. Eating delicious food is a PLEASURABLE experience that can be absolutely satisfying and help us with our overall contentment with a meal and really help us mentally cope with when we’ve eaten enough and are truly done consuming at that moment in time. To not stuff ourselves and over eat. Communicating and reconnecting our brains and our stomaches so they’re on the same page. 😉

Something that I’ve always struggled with is emotional eating. I’m the type of meow who eats a lot when I’m happy and things are going well, but will get completely turned off to food when I’m feeling down or life is just being a jerk left and right. Like I’d rather just not eat all than make something, which is NOT healthy in any way cause that just triggers the body to then binge eat and over consume for the sake of going into “survival mode “. The loss of control that we all feel from time to time can manifest itself in the craziest ways, especially when it comes to how we eat. Food can absolutely be a distraction from boredom, anxiety, pain, happiness, loneliness, and even just numb you all together. The more self aware we become, the easier it is to recognize the patterns and behaviors that contribute to our way of being. I mean, we all HAVE to eat! We need food to survive, so the better our relationship is with it, the easier it is to actually eat what we want, and that in itself really does effect other aspects of our life and perspective about ourselves and our environments. Coping with our emotions and being a little kinder to oneself regarding our eating habits is a balancing act that requires practice, but just like exorcise, the more reps you do, the stronger you get!

Then of course there’s your actual body and movement, right? As in moving around and getting exorcise, sunlight, fresh air, etc… Understanding that you have to respect your body NO MATTER WHAT SIZE YOU ARE. Like I have no choice but to accept my genetic blueprint. Heaviness runs in my family on both sides. This is in no way a cop out to avoid being healthy and taking better care of myself, but too many meows associate weight with health. That’s a blog for another day, but the shame that gets thrust upon us by ourselves as well as the meows in our families and friend circles, and society in general is just bonkers! We assume too much that how we look on the outside is a reflection of how successful or happy, or healthy we are. I mean, I know a ton of really skinny meows who are pretty messed up inside. And I know lots of heavy meows who are happy and thriving. It’s a lot to deal with and you have to have a good relationship with yourself 24/7. Life is hard enough without putting ourselves through it about a donut, or ice cream, chips, a cheeseburger, pasta, or pizza we ate. Make food choices that honor your taste buds and make YOU feel good. Perfection doesn’t always mean healthy. It’s what we eat consistently over time that matters.

So as you can see by the food pictures posted above, I eat what I want, and I eat well. Granted, I do most of the cooking myself, but that only helps me when it comes to eating what the flip I want without feeling any guilt about it. I feel better about all of my food choices because at 45 years old, I’m finally developing the best relationship with myself that I’ve ever had. It took a lot of crap to get to this place in my life, but I feel like I’m the best version of myself that I’ve ever been. If I’ve come this far and lived through what I have, then I’m definitely ready to face and tackle what lies ahead. And that dear meows is the key. Having an authentic true understanding of yourself. Being REAL and not bullshitting and fooling ourselves about anything. Our relationship with food is lifelong. Letting go of dieting and restricting will help in releasing false hopes that come with fads, or what we see on social media, magazines, and comparing ourselves in anyway. And in the end will be more helpful in guiding you into the realm of intuitive eating and the benefits of removing the mental shackles we impose upon ourselves. Reestablishing the ability to listen and tune into our body’s cues and what it needs. Our INTUITION.

If you’re craving lots of red meat or dark leafy greens, perhaps your Iron’s low… If you’re super tired all the time, perhaps you need to up your intake of foods that have Vitamin D. Or simply if your brain reminds you that it’s been a minute since you’ve had a smoothie, or yogurt, an apple, or banana. This is your body’s way of communicating with you. I’m even at a point where I can pinpoint certain things going on with my liver, heart, kidneys, etc. The freaking point is… Eat, drink, and be merry! Life is too short, meows… Enjoy things while you can, cause we really don’t know how long we’ve got around here. And with that dear meows, I’ll leave you with this recap of sorts. Intuitive Eating is a way for meows to have a healthier mental attitude towards food and body image altogether. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full. It’s easier said than done, but it can be done if you tune in to your body’s frequency and tune out the static and noise from the outside world. I hope you meows cook yourself some tasty Mystic Meals and continue to strive for a better relationship with food and yourself. Until we eat again… Bone Appetite and Happy Cooking!

Cheers, hugs, and Meows! xo Nikki 🖤🔮😻✨

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook,TikTok, and Twitter under MysticMeals13 and SikNik13 ✨🖤Listen to The Mystic Meals Podcast on Anchor.fm! https://anchor.fm/mysticmeals13